W250xD250xH400mm, China
This is a double deck bamboo basket for food storage. It is for carrying food stuff goodies as a gift for relative and friends, a kind of xmas hamper. Upon receiving the gift a red packet thank you note would be sent back to the sender.
L310xW180 (when folded)
W400xH250, China
This is a holder for Buddhism script that is made of bamboo, it can be folded for easy transportation. Since its invention over 1000 year ago, it has also been adopted to be used as a book stand. The angle of the tilt for the book can be adjusted to suit the position of the reader. It was one of the stationary items for the wealthy scholars which is now all to be replaced by the mighty ipad.
W40xD20xH50mm, China
This is another type of bird feeder, a slight cruel one. A live cricket or insect treat is put inside the cage which is then attached to the side of the bamboo bird cage, the gate is opened from the outside and here comes “dinner”! The detail by the gate is for the attachment of the bamboo bar of the bird cage.
Click here for a more traditional bird feeder.
W120xH120mm, China
How to Play: Put the palms together with the vertical stick in between, rub quickly the hands in opposite direction and release, the toy will fly up the sky like a helicopter! This toy has been documented in Baopuzi around 400AC, if one can travel in time, it would be amazing to have this toy inventor sitting in a helicopter!
L330xH20mm, Mongolia
In Mongolia Shamanism the Blue Mighty Eternal Heaven (Mongke Tengri) is worshipped, in its legend 6 treasures was given by the Blue Sky to the Mongolian, 3 big treasures and 3 small ones. The 3 big treasures are, yurts, grassland, cattle and sheep, the 3 small treasures are, Mongolian knife, matouqin and dairy products. Hence, the Mongolian knife is treated also as a sign of blessing on top of it function. In the nomadic days, a mongolian man who wear it by the waist together with the snuff bottle and the Mongolian flink. The sheath has 2 holes for keeping a pair of chopsticks, isnt this the perfect eating kit for nomadic life.
DIA70xL160mm, China
This is a Chinese version of the thaumatrope; by pulling the string that is attached to the axial of the circular frame, the image inside the frame will turn over and over again. The 2 images from both side of the frame will appear as 1 due to the persistence of vision. The momentum of the spin will cause the axial to spin at the reverse direction result in a prolong animation.
click on me!
DIA550xH600mm, China
This small umbrella has a silver handle, a structure is made of bamboo and yawn, the shade is non-waterproof, to top it off, it has 2 pom pom on the top of the cap. This is in fact a Chinese dance umbrella. Around the Sung dynasty, merchants from the northern province acquired the umbrella from the south and brought them home as a novelty, in order to show it off a dance show is invented. The moral of the story is – product promotion started early in China.
DIA360xH110, China
Bamboo basket (tray like) used to be a common household item; in the days when refrigerator is not so common, the weaving of the bamboo strips avoid trap moisture and made the vegetable and fruit stored last longer. Apart from the everyday use, the bamboo tray basket also feature on the wedding day, when the bride leaves her parents home a respected female of the family will use the bamboo basket to shield the bride from the sun.
W140xL180xH160mm, China
Everyone must have seen the dragon dance during Chinese New Year, ever wonder how the dragon head is constructed? Here is a miniature version of the bamboo structure that goes under the paper or cloth constructed skin (which belongs to a dragon kite). Bamboo stripes are bend and tied together at junction points with a paper knot. For the actual performance piece the structure will be will be stronger and bolder. The body is made with piece of red cloth with resembled the scale of the dragon, with rods every 1.8m apart for the dancers to control the body. The length between the head and the tail can go up to 4m. Another dancer will raise a sphere for the dragon to chase.
In a traditional dragon dance, in a ceremony the body of the dragon will be invited out from the Dragon King Temple, the head and the tail will be attached and only then will the eyes be drawn on the dragon. Dragon is a creature both respected and feared by the Chinese, being the leader of the 4 spiritual creatures, it is believed to be able to control the sea and the weather, make it calm and peaceful or cause the wave to become furious. After the performances of the dragon dance, the head and the tail will be dismantled and burnt, only the body will returned to the temple to be kept for next year’s dragon dance.
W400xH250mm, China
The folding fan was introduced to China from Japan in the Song dynasty; they were a gift from monk Chonen to the Emperor. Emperor Zhu Di lead on the fan fashion, he ordered the court to produce a large number of hand fans, decorated with poems or verses and award the to the high officials. This became to the trend of the intellectuals, exchanging poems and calligraphy through the fans as a gesture of friendship. Even the Qing dynasty, the fashion of hand fan was well in its height. This is a fan from the 50s, a Bai Ju Yi poem about parenthood was added by my father recently.
Mountain Folkcraft 